435 - What We Really Think of the Middle Level
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- Опубліковано 5 лют 2025
- We have one last push on the Middle Level Navigations to get to Peterborough
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► FAQ
Q• Why are you uploading cruising videos and renovation videos at the same time.
A• As of October 2021 we have finished our journey to visit every waterway on the connected system but we still have a back lock of videos to edit. For this reason we are uploading a cruising video each week till we finish the journey. In November 2021 we started a project to renovate our Narrowboat and as there was a lot of interest in is filming this we decided to alternate the renovations with the old cruising videos. We also aim to get one renovation video up each week until the cruising videos are finished.
Q• Why do you speed up some of the footage in your videos?
A• We don't, we film it as time-lapse footage. We do not have the battery capacity or data storage to film in real time as our cruises can last up to 7 or 8 hours. We use to the time-lapse footage to help tell the story of movement rather than showcase the scenery. We limit the amount of time-lapse shots we use in each vlog.
Q• Why are your video's so behind?
A• We would love to release all our video's in the same week that we film them but that isn't possible for us. Jo only really has the capacity to edit two video's per week and as we make a video for each cruise that we do and we some times cruise 3 or 4 or 5 times a week we inevitably get behind. We fit in the vlogs around our lives not the other way round.
Poor George! for future reference, If he ever needs a cone again, you can purchase inflatable 'donut' collars that do the same job but don't restrict vision as much and seem to be better tolerated by dogs (and cats)
We picked one up when we got to Peterborough. Thanks for the tip though.
Savoring all the vlogs from the final weeks of your journey on the connected waterways. 🎉 Feeling bits of both joy and sadness!
We have one of your maps framed and hung for easy reference-for “armchair” travelers living in the western USA and it helps a lot. 😊
Love that! Thank you!
I used to work on the river Nene and if you are going upstream from Peterborough and call it the 'Neen' until passing under Nine arches Bridge at Thrapston and then call it the Nen until you leave on the canal system you wont be far out. I've been told that there were 2 tribes whose borders were at Thrapston hence the two pronunciations and spellings of the river.🤷♂
Thanks!
Oh poor George bet he was glad when the cone came off. Once again beautiful scenery. Hope you guys are well. Merry Christmas to you both and George. 💜💜🙋♀️🙋♀️
George did not enjoy the cone. Merry Christmas to you too.
George was very funny 😁🤣😁🤣
For some reason I missed this video and have only just seen it. Really glad that you liked Benwick, I've lived there for over forty years, I also lived by the river in Stanground and I was very surprised to see how built up the bankside has become. By the way that section of river between Stanground lock and embankment is part of the original river it's called the Old Nene. The section through Benwick is also the Old Nene, you can tell that it's a natural waterway because of all of the meanders. Re. Middle Level morning, most people just stop anywhere.
Glad you found the video. It’s hard to stop anywhere when we have to get George on and off the boat which is why we always look for mooring spots.
@@MinimalList yes, I realize this.
Poor George, at least he's better now.
Having seen a number of dogs with the cone of shame trying to "normal sized" gaps I can well imagine the hilarity of George's progress within the boat (and the laughter it causes "sympathetic" humans to suffer).
The cone acts to amplify sound as well. The poor doggo is hearing every peep and squeak turned up to 11.
Well said Michael I couldn't agree more with your comments on the Middle Level, we transited this year on our way back on to the canal system after a fabulous summer on the Great Ouse. The lack of investment seems like a naïve business strategy given their decision to introduce fees for entry. Boaters will not spend time there without decent moorings and facilities. On our passage the moorings at March were full and the pump out was out of order, we spent one night on the "rural" moorings which are just about suitable, but only for boaters with a certain level of fitness. Ironically the commissioners offices and private moorings as you know are pristine and of a very high standard!
Its such a shame isn't it. There are so many empty miles to explore but the lack of basic facilities make it so much harder than it should be.
Hi guys. You’ve hit the nail on the head with Middle Level moorings. We hired from fox’s a few times before getting our own boat and the 2 nd time around there was a few moor moorings albeit ‘wild moorings’ they are def missing a trick with them as it could bring much more revenue to the area and for those less confident on doing the tidal stretch it would make a great ‘introduction’ to boating without the too much hassle. 😜
It is past midnight here, so I'll do it:
Happy birthday Michael 🌝
Thank you!
When i lived in the area everyone called it the "Neen". For me, the middle levels are not the most picturesque waterways, and dreadful when the weather's bad.
You have really seen some beautiful canals. I hope your renovations are coming along nicely!
Thank you.. Will update on the boat renovation soon
8:01 min in your video, I though I saw a goat laying on a trampoline ? Am I seeing things? Get better George ! Saw George and Joe Guess Star on Cruising the Cut, cool. Wish all 3 of you well and Merry Christmas.
Hi guys. Many decades ago I lived in the Peterborough area...and we called the river nene just as Jo pronounces it.
Oh my pooor Georgie cones don't work on a narrow boat... Oh my ... Cute but observe....He has the best parents, so I have faith. Love you All....
♡ great video
Thank you!
@@MinimalList you two are great together! And I love George ♡
Thank you.
Also there is a nice real ale barge on the river called Charters Bar been there for a beer festival
I must confess I quite like the Middle Level as it is - it's more challenging than many waterways, and finding wild moorings is a bit of a challenge but can be done (eg Holme Fen, Woodwalton Fen, Chatteris, Horseway bridge etc etc).
Mrs Pedant and I aren't joining the 'nenn/neen' debate - we're too busy huffing and puffing when (as often happens) Jo says 'I' when she means 'me' ('Michael pulled over to pick up George and I') - and when she says 'me' when she means 'I' ('Me and George were sitting on the bank'. But we truly love all you've done.
Happy huffing and puffing. Im not going to change. :-)
17:01 reminds me of Nene geese -- they're Hawaiian.
Oh Poor George. Such a small space for a wide dog and cone. Get better George.
I'm sure there are numerous comments by now swearing that their pronunciation of "Nene" is the one true one. I have no idea about the river in England, but Michael is pronouncing the name of a Hawaiian goose correctly. Spelled the same, not sure if there are pronunciation controversies there. Hmm, perhaps I'll take a vacation there and investigate.
I felt so bad for George bumping up the stairs in the train station. At least he seemed to be able to deal with the setbacks.
I hope George didn't learn how to use the cone as a goose poop scoop😂
Lol
You can call it the Ney-ney if you're talking about the Hawai'ian goose (the nēnē)
What kind of critter is a yeah-yeah? I've definitely heard of 'em.
It is possible to buy short term passes for the Middle Level, but four one day passes are not much of a saving compared to the £100 for the Anglian pass. It's worth noting that only a share of the £100 goes to the MLC.
good vid
This one's for you Michael.
Chief: Max this is is highly sensitive info, we need to use the cone of silence.
Maxwell Smart: Right Chief.
Cone of silence is in place.
Chief: Now Max we need to discu...
Max: What?
Chief: What?
Max: WHAT?
Chief: WHAT, OH NEVER MIND!
Max: WHAT?!?!? 🤣😂🤣
Middle Levels are seen as a way to get from A to B. Its such a shame they are under used, but i totally agree that they could and should make more facilities and they would earn more from this and make boating a pleasant experience rather then a rush through and leave one.
Actually, they DO like dogs at Stanground lock, I think it's just that they have cats, and there have been some incidents in the past. The Peterborough end is the River Neen. The Northampton end is the River Nen. It changes around Thrapston. Totally agree with you about the lack of moorings on the middle levels. Better facilities would benefit the local communities. All the way through this vlog, once you'd mentioned the Cone of Shame, all I could think of was the Cone of Silence from Get Smart!
Re: the dog/cat collar…it’s a bit funny but here in America I’ve heard them referred to as ‘Elizabethan collars”…. I suppose that most Brits would prefer to “skirt” around such a cultural icon.
at about 6:14 there's a view of a house with wonderful looking windows. is there a name for that style? thanks.
I think they are dormer windows
Traffic is revenue....Let the villagers know, they have a commodity to income in their small towns.
Peterborough end... "Neen"
Northampton end... "Nen"
Girl on Google maps... "Nay nay"
I don't live in Peterborough but friends of mine that live in the area call the River Nene "Neen" No need to reply to this. 🙂
Hey, if we have 32 comments about whether it’s the Neeen or the Nenn (or even the Neenee), it boosts Minimal List’s ranking on UA-cam - so what’s not to like?
@@stevenrix7024 It changes somewhere between Wansford and Oundle but I doesn't know the exact spot.🙂
@@daviddearden6372 Thrapston, I have heard (which is not between Wansford and Oundle!)
As you now have left the Middle Level Navigations, I never got what was the "Middle" about them, are there a lower and a higher level too, stupid Swedes question...
Not a silly question! There is a North Level (to the north of the Nene, over towards Boston and Lincoln) and a South Level (to the east of the New Bedford River, over towards Ely). The Middle level is between them. Every bit of surplus water on the Middle Level is pumped up to the sea at a massive pumping station near Kings Lynn (capacity 100 tonnes a second).
The other two are largely drained by gravity (ie at low tide the water can be let out). The Middle Level main drain is now too far below sea level for that to be practicable. [ETA: more precisely, on the North and South level water is pumped once, ie up into the main rivers via lots of small local pumping stations, and thence by gravity. On the Middle Level water is pumped twice, and sometimes three times, to get from ditch to sea].
Maxwell Smart! Which always takes my equally abstract mind to Maxwells Silver Hammer which routinely confused my 98 year old Father in Law who hears only random words if I start singing it to him and he doesn’t understand me AT ALL. His name, of course, is Max. Has to be or none of this makes sense. Which was or is appropriate for the Cone Of Silence because the Chief kept yelling WHAT!?! and Max would yell louder and it was the closest thing to slapstick that I thought was funny. And stupid. Which WAS the whole point of the show. I backspaced over the rest of my commentary that could have included Rocky Raccoon, but I resisted the temptation. All of which is a great relief as already a song about a Hawaiian goose who dies because he is hungry had already developed into a perpetual loop in my head QUICKLY replaced by Maxwell’s Silver Hammer and Rocky Raccoon, so thank you Michael. And Maxwell. And my Michael. For his Max. All because of the Cone of Shame that George has to wear because of a dreaded infection in his paw. Between his pads in his paw?
This has been great fun! Thank you!!!
@@maobfh Let me guess: your husband went mad and ran off with the cleaning lady?